Spear



Oct. 11, 1932. w CHURCH 1,882,650

SPEAR Filed Feb. 9, 1931 Patented Oct. 11, 1932 UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER L. CHURCH, OI HOUSTON, TEXAS SPEAK the spear from the pipe and withdrawing,

the spear in case the pipe can not be pulled.

A particular feature of the invention resides in the provision of a mandrel having )1 a slip support thereon and expansible pipe engaging means depending therefrom and adapted to be expanded by the mandrel into v pipe engaging relation said mandrel havlng keys movable through key ways in the sup- ;"1 port and the support having an inside shoulder with which the keys may be interlocked to hold the mandrel out of expanding relation with the pipe engaging means when it is desired to withdraw the spear from the pipe. With the above and other objects in view, the invention has particularrelation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts an example of which is given in this specification and ilao lustrated in the accompanying drawing 4 wherein Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the device shown partly in section in engaging relation with the pipe to be pulled.

Figure 2 shows a crosssectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l. s

Figure 3 shows a fragmentary elevational view partly in section showing the spear in released position and Figure 4 shows a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4: of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing wherein like numerals of reference designate similar parts in each of the figures 1) the numeral 1 designates a tubular mandrel having the downwardly flared seat 2 thereon terminating at its lower end in an abrupt annular shoulder 3 whose upper face declines inwardly. The lower end of the mandrel has .J the reduced externally threaded pin 4 by means of which the spear may be connected to a pipe cutter if desired, through the string of pipe 5. The numeral 6 designates an operating string of pipe which is connected at its lower end to the enlarged, coupling 7 to which the upper end of the mandrel is at tached. There is an annular slip support 8 through which the stem of the mandrel 1 is slidable and this support has one or more vertical keyways as 9 to receive the keys 10 ,60 which are carried by the stem of said mandrel.

Depending from the support there is an expansible pipe engaging member as 11 preferably formed with the pipe engaging slips 12 having external pipe engaging teeth and .65 whose lower ends are tapered. Each slip has an inside tapering face 13 conforming to the taper of the flared portion 2 of the mandrel. The slip support 8 has an inside annular shoulder 14 fora purpose to be hereinafter stated. In operation the tool is assembled as shown in Figure 1 and let down into the bore and when the mandrel enters the pipe 15 to be pulled, the slips 12 will frictionally engage .75 said pipe and the coupling 7 will abut against the slip support 8 and will force the slips on down into the pipe until the slip support lands on the upper end of said pipe 15. An upward pull may thenv be exerted through the operating string and the mandrel will move upwardly relative to said slips and the tapering portion thereof will engage the tapering faces 13 and expand the slips out into engagement with the pipe to be pulled,

the keys 10 working through the key ways 9.

A continued upward pull on the operating string will dislodge the stuck pipe if the same can be done. The lower ends of the slips wil seat on the inwardly tapering face of the"; shoulder .3 to limit the expansion of said slips. If the pipe can not be pulled the mandrel may be lowered to carry the upper ends ofthe keys 1O beneath the shoulder 14 and out of 95 the keyways 9. This willreleasethe tapering portion of the mandrel from the slips permitting them to contract and the mandrel may then be turned to carry said keys around underneath the shoulder 1e. ,An upward 1 pull on the operating string 6 will be now eflective to release the spear from the pipe.

The drawing and description disclose what is now considered to be a preferred form of the invention, by way of illustration only, while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. A spear including a mandrel, a slip support thereon having an inside shoulder and a keyway extending entirely through said support, a key on the mandrel in said keyway, expansible pipe engaging slips on said support and formed integrally therewith, said mandrel having a flared portion movable into active position into engagement with said slips to expand the same and to maintain the key in said keyway and movable into inactive position out of such engagement, said key and shoulder forming means adapted to interlock upon the turning 01" the mandrel relative to said support, to hold said mandrel in said inactive position.

2. A spear including a. mandrel having an external shoulder which is upwardly flared, a support thereon having a keyway and an inside stop', a key on the mandrel in said keyway, said mandrel being downwardly movable and turnable in thesupport to carry said key out of said keyway and into engagement underneath the stop and being upwardly movable to carry said key into said keyway, and expansible pipe engaging means carried by said support engageable by said shoulder upon the upward movement of the mandrel relative to said support.

3. A spear including a mandrel having a flared expander, a support tl ereon having an inside stop, expansible pipe engaging means on said support, means on the mandrel engageable with said stop to hold the engaging means out of contact with said expander, said mandrel being rotatable relative to said sup port to eflect the release of said stop engaging means whereby said pipe engaging means is permitted to move into active relation with, and to be expanded by, said expander and means on the expander engageable over the lower ends of said pipe engaging means to limit the expansion of said pipe engaging means.

4. A spear including a mandrel having a flared expander thereon, a support on the mandrel having an inside annular shoulder,

and also having an inside keyway, a key on the mandrel arranged to work through said I keyway, expansible slips about the mandrel and depending from and formed integrally with said support, said mandrel being movable into active position, relative to said support, to eflect the expansion of said slips by the expander and being movable into inactive position to eflect the release of slips by said expander and being turnable, when in inactive position to carry said key into engagement with said shoulder.

5. A spear including a mandrel having a flared expander thereon, a support on the mandrel having an inside stop, and also having an inside keyway, a key on the mandrel arranged to work through said keyway, expansible slips about the mandrel and depending from said support, said mandrel being movable into active position, relative to said support, to effect the expansion of said slips by the expander and being movable into inactive position to eflect the release of slips by said expander, an annular shoulder around the expander engageable around the lower ends of said slips when the expander is moved into said active position, said mandrel being also turnable, relative to said support, when in said inactive position to eflect the engagement of said key with said stop.

6. A spear including a mandrel having a flared expander thereon, an annular support on the mandrel having an inside annular shoulder provided with a keyway, expansible slips depending from said support about said expander, a key on the mandrel engageable underneath said shoulder to hold the expander outof contact with said slips, said mandrel being turnable to align said key with said keyway whereby said mandrel is permitted to move upwardly to carry said expander into contact with said slips to expand the same and to carry said key into said keyway, and an outside upwardly flared shoulder on the expander engageable around the lower ends of the slips to limit the expansion of the slips and to limit the upward move ment of the expander relative to said slips.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WVALTER L. CHURCH. 

